Never Be The Same
by SixNewAdventures
Summary: On the day Wally died, Artemis found out she was pregnant. Sixteen years later, their son and Dick's daughter face a task to change history when they are accidently sent back in time. Secrets surface as they attempt to stop Wally dying. But, will it impact their very own existence? OCs present. rated T to be on the safe side.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I decided to try out another YJ story. Hope you like it.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Young Justice.**

* * *

Chapter 1

* * *

Sixteen years. That's how long it had been.

Sixteen years since Wally died. Sixteen years since Artemis found out she was pregnant with Wally's child. Sixteen years since Dick's ex-girlfriend dumped him with a newborn girl. Sixteen years since Artemis gave birth to a handsome baby boy.

Sixteen years since the day she was constantly reminded of her dead boyfriend.

Sixteen years since he had no choice but to be a father, with no guidance.

"_Wally…" she breathed as he kissed her again for the tenth time that evening._

"_Hm?" he asks, not moving his lips from her neck._

"_I have to tell you something." She says softly._

"_What is it, babe?" he asks, moving away and looking at her. _

_It was totally unfair how she already felt ready to melt as she looked into those green eyes. All she wanted to do right then was put her hands on his face and kiss him for as long as possible. But, if she didn't tell him now, when would she get the chance? Seriously though, who could blame him? He just got his girlfriend back from an undercover mission that would possibly get her killed. She pushed the thoughts away and opened her mouth to tell him._

"_Wally, I'm…"_

_At that moment, Wally's phone began to ring and he had to take the call, since it was from Dick. Artemis sighs and plays with her nails while Wally went into the other room. She could hear the hushed tones and could sense the worry in Wally's voice. A couple of minutes later, Wally came back into the room._

"_We're needed."_

* * *

Artemis woke up with a start. She looked around to see that she was in her and Wally's house. Well, _hers_.

It takes her a second to register the tear tracks on her face. She lets out a sob as she wipes them away. If she wasn't dreaming about her father, losing the only family she had or Oliver and Dinah, she was dreaming about that night; the last conversation she had with Wally, the last time she really kissed him, the night she tried to tell him about it, but didn't get the chance. The night he died, and she spent it crying, holding her stomach, wondering how the baby would turn out, without a father.

"Mom? Are you okay?"

A head poked through the open door. Artemis felt the familiar pang of pan she felt whenever she saw him. He had her blond hair, but he had his father's eyes, and looked just like him. She wipes her face and looks up.

"Yeah, I'm fine, honey." She smiles. "What are you doing here?"

"I was up late studying for that Physics test tomorrow when I heard you moving around in your sleep. You were making a lot of noise." He looked down and blushed. _Seriously, just like Wally._

"That's really sweet, Jason." The name left her mouth feeling dry. She and Wally always talked about baby names, and he really liked Jason for a boy. So, she named her baby boy Jason, so as to keep him close.

Artemis leans forward and smoothes her son's bangs. "You look so much like your father." She says, tears forming in her eyes.

Jason's green eyes soften, realizing why his mother was crying. That was a burden he would always carry. He was always told that he was a lot like his father, but he had never met him. The worst part of it, while other fifteen-year-old guys had fathers to give them dating advice, he didn't have one to look up to. Sure, he looked up to most of the heroes who helped Artemis raise him, but it would never be the same as _having _a father. He wraps his arms around his mother, hugging her as hard as possible.

"I know, Mom."

* * *

Dick was in his indoor gym, doing some flips on the exercise beam. He didn't know why, but in the morning, after his daughter left for school, he caught sight of a picture of him and Wally when they were younger. He had been sixteen when that picture was taken, shortly before he left the Robin identity to become Nightwing. It was also before Wally had retired from the Team to pursue college.

He sighed. Even after sixteen years, the pain was still there.

To distract himself, he went over to the trapeze rings and performed a huge workout that would have looked impossible to a normal person. But he wasn't a normal person.

While he was working out, he was thinking about Artemis. He had given her a hand when she had her baby. In fact, he had been the one holding her hand in the hospital. This made him feel extremely guilty. He had been there for Artemis, but the baby wasn't his. It was Wally's. Wally should have been the one in the hospital room, holding her hand and telling her that everything would be alright. He should have been the one who held the newborn baby and asked Artemis for a name. It should have been Wally who comforted the young boy when he found out that he didn't inherit his father's speed. It should have been him, not Dick.

Dick was so distracted with all these thoughts that he didn't hear the door open and softly close. He suddenly felt eyes on him as he turned back. Standing in the doorway was a young girl of fifteen years of age with raven black hair and bright blue eyes. She was wearing a sleeveless light green top with a collar and white jeans. Dick smiles at her as he does a back flip and lands perfectly on his feet. He turns around and she hands him a towel and a water bottle.

"Thanks, Zen." He smiles at his daughter.

He quickly looks her over. The top has white stripes around the collar and the hem. Her hair lay perfectly on her face. She was beautiful. She had grown taller over the years and pretty much looked like a female version of him, according to Tim. He felt pride filling his chest. He knew that due to her good looks as well as being the granddaughter of Bruce Wayne, many boys tried to ask her out. But, luckily, since she was a baby, he taught her to look at love only if it came from the heart.

_Unlike what happened with her mother…_

"So, how was your day?" he asks.

"It was crazy!" she smiles, placing her bag on the couch. "Someone spilled their fruit punch on the ground at lunch, so when the janitor slipped on that, his bucket of water fell all over the girls who are mean to everyone. And Jason came up with this really cool tune during music, and he thinks I should come up with lyrics to it. He told me that we could use it to try out for the school band."

"But, he doesn't know…?" Dick raised his eyebrows at his daughter. She looked down, her cheeks red.

"No, he doesn't. Not _yet_."

Dick placed a hand on her shoulder. "He's your best friend. He's _my _best friend's son as well. You've known each other for years. Maybe you shouldn't keep it a secret from him for so long. You never know how it can affect your friendship."

"I know, Dad, but he might see me differently."

Dick smiles. "Zaina Grayson, if he's really your best friend, he'll care for you, not matter what you can or can't do."

Zaina sighed, feeling the smile tug at the ends of her mouth. She then hugged her father. "Thanks, Dad."

* * *

**A/N: So, here's the first chapter. Hope you liked my OCs. They'll be the protagonists of this story. And here are the ages of the characters in this story:**

**Dick Grayson: 35**

**Artemis Crock: 36**

**Jason West: 15**

**Zaina Grayson: 15**

**That's all the characters for now. More characters to be coming up soon in later chapters. By the way, Zaina and Jason go to the same public school in Palo Alto and live very close to each other. Zaina's a lot like Dick, but doesn't harbor the urge to step out of her father's shadow. Jason's like Wally, except he isn't as reckless, and didn't inherit the speedster gene. Both don't harbor the need to follow in their parents' footsteps and become superheroes.**

**A cookie for anyone who can guess what Zaina's hiding. ^^**

**Please review. I'd like any help on getting better since I'm not too good at writing YJ.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Shout outs to Feelin' the Aster and randomkitty101 for reviewing on my story^^ **

**Feelin' the Aster: She has very slight feelings for him but doesn't like him that way. She actually has a disorder. Hints will be dropped in the coming chapters. Have a cookie (::)**

**Randomkitty101: She's not a superhero, but she does like him, very little. She has a disorder. It will be shown in later chapters. Here, have a cookie (::)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Young Justice**

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Chapter 2

* * *

When Artemis came home after an overwhelming patrol with Nightwing, the house seemed deserted. She had been surprised when she bumped into Dick on patrol. He told her that Bludhaven was really quiet tonight and so asked her to run a sweep of Palo Alto with him. She had agreed at first, but eventually tired down as he was about ten times faster and stronger than her. What does a man in his mid-thirties have to do to stay that much in shape?

By the time she got back, Artemis was ready to drop. He had given her so much exercise in the last few hours that it felt like her arms and legs were about to fall off. How he could do that much overwhelming exercise and still not have a bead of sweat on his body was a mystery to her.

_Why isn't anybody ever whelmed?_ Dick's voice flashed through her head. She smiled. Even after all this time, he still kept up with his childish word-playing. She figures it's because so much has changed, it's just his way of hanging onto the good times. She remembers the times when they were younger and didn't have to worry about anything, just about school and dating and how well they did on missions. The times were so simple, and nice. She would do anything to get back to those times.

She's snapped out of her small trance when she hears a frustrated groan from Jason's room. She scrambles to her feet and walks to the room. She sees Jason on his bed with a guitar over his lap. She figures that he must have been practicing while she was gone. He's trying to get a particular chord but judging by his scrunched up face, it wasn't as easy as it looked.

"Jason, honey?" she asks, making him look up suddenly.

"Oh, Mom, you're back." He gulps. She laughs.

"Okay, what's going on?" She walks over to him and sits down beside him.

"Well, today at school, Zaina showed me this really cool guitar technique, but it's not as easy as it looked."

Artemis nods. "Sounds like something she would do. Did you know that your Uncle Dick used to do things exactly like that? He'd come up with this really cool fighting technique which was ten times harder than it looked."

"Well, he was trained by the Bat." He softly says.

Artemis puts her hand on the hand that's draped over his guitar and takes the pick from his grasp. "I suggest you rest now. You have school in the morning and I don't want you to be late." "Okay, Mom." He smiles. She turns to get up when she spots him reach for his phone and check the messages. "Still no response." He murmurs. "What's that about?" she asks.

"I texted Zen over an hour ago, but she still hasn't replied. It's always been like this. I text her, but she never responds. And she's doing worse in school." Artemis registers this to ask Dick later.

"Whatever it is, I'm sure she'll tell you soon enough."

* * *

Dick goes straight to his bedroom and collapses on the bed as he rips off his mask. Patrol had been strenuous that night, not because she pushed Artemis to her limits, but because he had got a call from Bruce asking him to come over to the Manor during the weekend. Bruce had known about Zaina ever since he was left with her, but there was always an awkward tension in the air between Dick and Bruce whenever they visited. He's sure that Bruce would never completely accept Zaina because of her mother, but he still cared for her. Along with the stress of patrol, he was _wiped._

At that moment, Zaina walks in, a cup of hot chocolate in her hand. "Hey, Dad, you're here. I heard the door open and figured it was you." He feels pride swelling up in his throat at how much of a detective she would make. _She'd make an amazing Nightwing,_ he thought, but he wanted her to make the decision for herself.

He sits up as she hands him the cup of hot chocolate. "You made some hot chocolate before you left and I didn't want to drink it all since you'd be tired after your patrol."

Dick smiles at him. "When did you become so good at reading other people?"

She shrugs. "Uncle Tim says that you used to be able to do it when you were thirteen." He nods and takes a sip of his chocolate. He runs a hand through his hair, feeling the pain of his headache hitting him. He lets out a low groan. Zaina notices it and gives him a sympathetic look. "Tough night, Dad?" He nods.

"Your grandfather called and invited us over for the weekend."

"That sounds like fun, right?" He knows that no matter how awkward it might be between him and Bruce, the young girl loved the entire family with all her heart. So, he simply hums in agreement and takes another sip.

At that precise moment, Zaina's phone dings to let her know that she had a message. She leans over and checks her phone. "It's Jason." She says. "He's been texting me for over an hour." "Did you reply?" Dick asks. His heart drops as she shakes her head. "It's only just a hunch that its him." She softly says. Dick pulls her against his chest as he kisses her head. He tries to say something, but he just can't find the words. So, he just holds her like that.

With them, actions speak louder than words.

* * *

The peacefulness of the school is disrupted when the bell shrilly rings. Students pile out of the classrooms to go to their lockers and get ready for their next class. The calm Palo Alto High School was now bursting with activity as it always did between classes. Out of the flood that came out of Math, a certain raven-haired teenager was followed by a complaining blond girl.

"What do you mean you didn't get it? That is like the easiest concepts in our grade!" the golden-haired girl says.

"For you maybe, but remember that I'm not as good as you." Zaina desperately says.

"Yet, you still manage to become the star pupil in Music." The other girl says. "Zen, you're smarter than this."

"Kim! I'm terrible in Math. Why can't you just accept that?" Zaina asks.

"Because I know my best friend." Kim says. "And partly because your grades might affect my social status."

Zaina rolls her eyes and enters the combination for her locker. Kim has been her best friend since she was in third grade. So, she's used to all her taunts till now. As she pulls out the books for her next class, she keeps thinking about what her father has repeatedly told her. She wasn't getting anywhere by keeping it a secret, but it was saving her from the humiliation. Her school was filled with a bunch of "Queen Bees" who would do anything against her since they hated her. The only reason was being the daughter of Dick Grayson, ward of Bruce Wayne.

"Thinking about something?"

The voice snaps her out of her thoughts so suddenly that she almost drops her books. She looks and sees Jason standing there, leaning against the locker next to hers. He has a questioning look in his eyes. He's probably surprised that he was able to surprise her as she would always be able to hear him before he came up behind her. "Jason! You startled me."

He lets out a small laugh and scratches the back of his neck. "Wow, what you're thinking of must be _huge_ because I have _never_ been able to startle you before." She sheepishly nods. "It is, kinda."

"So, did you get my texts last night?" he asks. _Oh no._

"Um…I think I did. I didn't check my phone last night." She can tell that he's not entirely bought it.

"Then did you check them this morning?" he asks again.

"Look, I'm sorry I didn't answer your texts…" she begins when he cuts her off. "You've _never_ answered my texts." It leaves her speechless for a moment. She avoids his gaze as she lets his words sink in. She then takes a deep breath. "Well, what did you want to talk about?" she asks.

"I was trying out that technique you showed me yesterday, but I wasn't really getting it. So, I was wondering if you could show me during free period."

"Sure, that sounds great." She says, glad for an excuse to avoid this awkward conversation. He wishes her and Kim good luck after checking his watch and hurrying off to his Biology.

Zaina heaves a huge breath and turns around to see Kim staring after Jason with a dreamy look in her eyes. She waves her hand in front of the blonds' face. "Kim?" Kim snaps out of whatever trance she was in after sighs. "I still can't believe you're friends with _Jason West_." She says. "He's like, one of the _hottest_ guys in school. How can you not be into him?" The black haired girl rolls her eyes at Kim's ranting. It was true that all the girls in school swayed over her best friend. It was awkward at times, but she got used to it within no time. And out of all the girls, Kim had the _biggest_ crush on the blond teenager.

"He may be good-looking, but Jason's been like the brother I never had." She tells the blond. "Now, we'd better get to class."

* * *

**A/N: Well, that's chapter 2. Hope you guys like it.**

**Hope fully now it might be a bit easier to guess Zaina's disability. And, do you guys want to see some Jason/Zaina romance or a brother-sister relationship? Or even Traught?**

**Please review.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Shout outs to randomkitty101, HorseLoverTW, lindz4567, Beautiful-Dark, annielcresta, dragonbird23, Feelin' the Aster and Beachlover470. And a few more shout outs to Karma, Guest and Keepmovingforwar for commenting on my first chapter.**

**A lot of Zaina's past hasn't been revealed yet, hence why I've been getting a few questions regarding her mother. So, this chapter will serve as a flashback to answer these questions. So, prepare yourselves for a lot of fluff!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Young Justice.**

* * *

Chapter 3

* * *

"So, you're sure you don't need me to talk to the teacher to give you extra time?" Dick's in his office room at Wayne Tech, the phone pressed against his ear as he rearranges his desk.

"I'm pretty sure, Dad." Zaina's voice comes out of the other end of the line. "I just need to work a bit harder."

"You're already pushing yourself to your limits." Dick counters. He hears a sigh at the other end.

"I'm _fine_, Dad." She insists. "Anyway, I gotta go now. Don't wanna be late."

He hums in agreement as he hears a click at the end of the line. He puts the phone down and drops down on the chair. He rests his elbows on the desk as he puts his head in his hands. Being a single dad wasn't easy. He had work managing the Wayne Tech plant at Palo Alto, while dealing with a hard-headed teenager as well as fulfill his superhero duties. Why did his daughter have to be exactly like him? He finally understood why Bruce had always been so exhausted when he came home from work and still insisted on patrol. He grins as he thinks about how Tim's doing with _his_ little girl. But, at least he had a wife who took care of her. He had absolutely no idea what Dick was going through.

Despite all the exhaustion, Dick would never regret taking Zaina in. He could still remember the day he first saw her:

* * *

"_Sorry, I couldn't come over, Artemis. I've got Wayne Tech stuff." He grins._

"_It's totally fine, Dick. I know you're doing the best you can." Artemis tells him over the phone. "I gotta go now."_

"_Yeah, me too." He says as he hears the bell ring._

_Dick quickly runs a hand through his hair and gets up to answer the door. When he opens the door, he gets a huge surprise. Standing outside his door is a girl he knew only too well. She's about his age with long dark auburn hair and brown eyes. She looks as stunning as ever, but then he remembers why they broke up in the first place. But what's got his attention is the bundle of cloth in her arms._

"_Jessica?" he asks. "What are you doing here? I haven't seen you in like, what, nine months?"_

"_You remember the last time we were together; the night before we broke up? Well, I was pregnant, thanks to you. This is our daughter." She leans forward and places the bundle in his arms. He's still in shock as he slowly moves the blanket to see a tiny face peeping out from the blankets._

_He looks up at her. "You're serious?" he asks. "Oh, I'm so sorry. I never meant for this to happen…"_

"_I know. That's why I'm giving her to you." Jessica cuts in._

"_To me? You're giving her to me?"_

_She nods. "My parents will kill me if they find out about her. They'll make me give her up for adoption. I don't want that to happen. But, I can't stick around."_

"_Then why don't you take her with you?" Dick asks._

"_She was born yesterday." She tells him. "It's too soon for her, but I can't risk meeting her again."_

"_You mean…?"_

"_I'm leaving, for good." _

_This was still too much for Dick to process. Jessica looks down at the baby in his arms. "Goodbye, my little angel," she says, stroking the baby's cheek with her fingers, "Mommy'll miss you very much." She looks up to Dick. "I'm sorry, Dick. Take care of her, for me." She leans forward and presses a kiss to his cheek, turns around and walks away. He's pretty sure this is the last time he'll ever see her. _

_His and Jessica's relationship was pretty complicated. It took no time at all to even realize that they weren't even in love with each other. Yet, they still stayed together for a few months before it became too much for Dick. Everything he had to do like handling the Team, protecting Artemis and Kaldur's covers while trying to make a plan to bring down the Reach and the Light was finally taking its toll on him. Wally's death was the last straw and he pretty lost control. He can still remember holding Jessica, who had tried to be there for him, but couldn't as she didn't know about his other life. The next few nights, he couldn't help it, but as much as he tried to hold back as he knew he would hurt her, he lost control. It's not like they hadn't slept together before, but since Wally's death, it got rougher. He began to vent out his feelings through it. It went on like this for a few weeks until he began to feel concerned for her. After a night of extremely rough sex, he broke up with her the following morning. He figures it was that night that got her pregnant._

_He sighs, not knowing what to do. He had been a father, yet he didn't know it. He should have ended it sooner, he knew that. Yet, like a fool, he continued and this was the result. He would never see her again. He looks down at the baby once again. Somehow, however bad he felt, this child was his. And seeing that tiny face fast asleep, he felt a new feeling in his heart, a fatherly feeling. _

_As the baby opens her eyes, he's surprised as he definitely recognizes that shade of blue. She has _his_ eyes. He can't help but smile as his heart feels like it could explode. She gives a tiny yawn and then holds her hands up. He instinctively put his finger into her grasp and smiled as she played with his fingers. _

"_Don't worry my little angel. Daddy's got you now."_

* * *

It had been a tough decision, but in the end, he didn't regret it. It had been about a month since Jason was born and even though he was stressed, he still managed to make it work. She's grown up so much; it's hard for him not to feel proud.

* * *

Luckily for her, Artemis got the day off. She spent the day setting up the house. Before she knew it, she had a photo album open with tears running down her cheeks.

This particular album had all the photos of her and Wally before she decided to go undercover. She looked so happy then, like she didn't have a care in the world. She looks at one of the pictures of her and Wally at an amusement park. He has his arm around her shoulders and his face has a huge smile on it. He looks so adorable she wonders how it's possible. She can hardly recognize herself in that picture, looking so free and happy. She wonders how long it's been since she felt like that.

She looks up and her eye catches a framed photo on the wall. In that, she and Dick are in the background with Jason and Zaina in front. Dick has his arm around her shoulder and their kids are making peace signs above each other's heads. For once, she actually looks happy. She remembers that this picture was taken a few years ago during Christmas. She had been extremely surprised with the gifts Jason and Zen gave her. She still doesn't know how a twelve-year-old could have given her such a beautiful present. She's not surprised by Zaina's gift considering who her father is.

Still, she's never seen a tighter friendship than what her son has with her best friend's daughter. She can still remember how it all started:

* * *

"_Mommy, can we go out for ice-cream?" Five-year-old Jason asks, tugging on his mother's dress._

_Artemis always found it hard to resist her son's demands since he always asked so sweetly. But, right now he was looking at her with his huge green eyes and she instantly felt like melting. _

"_Okay, we can go for ice-cream." She just has to smile at the way her son jumps up and down in excitement. She wonders for a second how he would have turned out if he knew Wally. _

_Artemis stops the car outside Jason's favorite ice-cream parlor. She tells him to slow down as he tries to jump out. When she looks out, she thinks she's seeing things, because the car on the other side of the road looks just like Dick's. _

_Jason tries to get in as fast as possible and Artemis struggles to make him stay with her. Her eyes widen as in front of her, by the flavors, is Dick. He has a small girl holding onto her hand. Artemis smiles as she guesses that Zaina wanted an ice-cream as well and this was the best ice-cream in town. She then feels Jason tugging at her hand, urging her to come._

"_Mom, come on!" he says. She laughs just because she has to._

"_Why don't you go and pick out a flavor? I'll be right there."_

_He rushes off to stand beside the black-haired girl. She watches Dick look at him and a questioning gaze creep into his eyes. He turns around and smiles when he sees her and beckons her closer. _

"_You too, huh?" he laughs, giving her that familiar smirk that she knew all too well. _

_She nods. "It's just too hard to resist the puppy dog eyes, especially when they're coming from a five-year-old." He hums in agreement and turns around to see what his daughter was doing._

_Jason and Zaina were leaning over, looking at all the different flavors. Their faces are scrunched up in thought. Artemis almost laughs at how at how they're thinking so much. She also feels a bit of jealousy as they had to scratch their brains about which flavor to take, not whether she should pick up the bow or the knife. _

"_I think I'll take the chocolate chip." Zaina says. Jason looks over at her._

"_Chocolate chip? Haven't you had any?" he asks her. _

"_Loads of times, but I can't decide what flavor I should take, so I'll just settle with what I love."_

"_Then why don't you try mint?" he asks. "It's amazing."_

_She shrugs. "Okay, I'll try it." She says. "What are you taking?"_

"_I'm trying out the Fruit Swirl." He says enthusiastically. "My name's Jason."_

"_My name's Zaina." She says._

_They shake hands and Artemis feels like bursting from all the cuteness. Dick smiles at them both. "Looks like they'll be fast friends."_

"_What makes you so sure?" she jokes._

"_Wally and me. It's genetic." He shrugs. She punches his shoulder playfully. _

_She's too busy laughing to notice that the kids are back. Dick puts his arms around his daughter's waist, bringing his fingers together over the small of her back as she tells him what flavor she wants. Jason stands in between Artemis's legs._

"_Mom, I want the Fruit Swirl." He says in a really sweet voice. _

_Out of the corner of her eye, she sees Dick stand up and take Zaina to the counter. She herself stands up and holds her son's hand. To her surprise, she sees Dick ordering four ice-creams. Why four? As she wonders, Dick gives one of them to his daughter and then turns to them. He walks over to them and bends down to give Jason his Fruity Swirl ice-cream. _

"_Thank you." Jason smiles, licking the rainbow ice-cream as Dick stands up and hands one of the remaining two to her._

"_Dick, you don't have to…" she tries but he shakes his head._

"_Nope. It's my treat this time, so don't try to pay me back." He says firmly. Rolling her eyes, she takes the ice-cream. "Just so you know, I'm getting you back some day."_

"_I doubt it." He grins. Suddenly, she remembers that the kids hadn't been introduced to them yet._

"_By the way, Jason, this nice man is Dick Grayson." Artemis tells her son._

"_Zaina, this lady is Artemis Crock." Dick tells Zaina._

_The two kids greet their parents' friends and then go back to eating their ice-cream and talking about some kiddy stuff._

"_Looks like they really will become good friends." Artemis says. Dick nods._

"_I told you it was genetic."_

* * *

Soon, after that first meeting, they found out that they lived real close to each other as Dick was moving to Palo Alto. This brought them closer, till they found out about each other's interest in dancing. It slowly escalated from there till they became inseparable. They treated each other like siblings. But, she never thought Zaina could keep anything from Jason as he knew almost every embarrassing thing about her. He knew her inside out that he could even guess what she was about to say at times. So, what was she hiding?

* * *

**A/N: hope you liked it, guys. I also put in how Jason and Zaina met. It might not be as you expected, but they are two five-year-olds. And I can definitely imagine two five-year-olds bonding over ice-cream.**

**Just so you know, it's not the first time Artemis and Dick are meeting. They kept in contact, but they just reconciled at the parlor. **

**Please review**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Shout outs to everyone who commented on my last chapter and even the previous chapters. I love seeing your reviews and it actually makes me want to update. **

**You guys are the reason this story has gotten this far.**

**This chapter might not be really related, but the things in this chapter will reappear in later chapters. The real action will start in Chapter 5.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Young Justice.**

* * *

Chapter 4

* * *

Students pile out of their classrooms as the bell rings, signaling for the end of school. They all eagerly ran out of school, looking forward to the weekend. The area begins bursting with activity as all the kids tell each other their plans for the weekend.

Walking out of school, Zaina stuffs a few papers into her bag as she tries to ignore Kim beside her, telling her about how hot Jason looked today. It's hard for her to suppress a smirk as she knows Kim has it bad.

"If you like him so much, then why don't you just tell him?" she puts in.

Kim stares at her. "Zen, have you gone out of your _mind_?" she yells. "He's one of the most popular guys in school, and I'm just…normal."

"I'm normal, but he's still my best friend." Zaina points out. "Look, I _know_ Jason, and he doesn't judge based on your popularity."

"Still, he's just so…" Kim begins.

"So, who're we talking about?" Jason asks, coming up from behind her, making her jump and drop her bag.

She yells at him for making her drop her books and gets down on her hands and feet to gather them up. He also bends down to help her. He gathers up a few books and hands them to her as she reaches out for them. Suddenly, their fingers brush each other's. Jason and Kim lift their eyes to their faces. They stay like that for a couple of minutes and then draw their hands back.

"Um, sorry about making you drop your books," Jason stutters. "So, see you tomorrow."

"Sure, that sounds great." Kim's face is as red as the shirt she's wearing.

Jason gives her a small smile as she turns around, waving bye. She then hurries away, a bit more hurriedly than usual. He turns around to find Zaina looking at him.

"You like her, don't you?" she simply asked.

"What? _No_!" He protests.

"Dude, _please_. Your face is as red as the red coat you gave me last Christmas." She cuts in. He heaves a huge sigh.

"Okay, maybe I do like her. Just a tiny bit."

She rolls her eyes and starts to walk. "Well, are you coming?"

* * *

"So, are you coming to the party tonight?" Jason asks.

"Sorry, I can't make it. I've got to babysit my cousin." Zaina tells him, holding the phone to her ear as she browses the internet.

"Oh yeah, your uncle and aunt are taking your dad out, aren't they."

"Yep, they say he needs some air. Personally, I agree with them."

"I'll save you some cake." He offers.

"Jason, just go have fun. I won't be available during the weekend. My dad's taking me to Gotham to visit my grandfather for the weekend. I'll catch you on Monday." Zaina tells him, amusement in her voice.

She puts the phone down and begins updating her page. She isn't much of a social network person, but since everyone was doing it, why not her? It was much more fun than it looked. She listens to music as she posts an update and then pulls up a site for her History paper that was due on Monday. After a few minutes though, she gives up as she gets a splitting headache. She turns the computer off and flops down on her bed, staring at the ceiling.

She then hears the door open and sees her father come in. He's changed out of his work suit and donned a casual shirt and jeans. She knows that many women still make eyes at her father. They might prefer him in a suit, but she thinks she enjoys him casual than in a suit and tie, or even in his Nightwing costume. She thinks he looks more calm and collected now.

"You ready, sweetie?" he asks. "Uncle Tim and Aunt Cassie'll be here any minute now." He says.

"Yeah, I'm ready, Dad." She smiles, slipping out of bed.

He nods at her and walks to the living room, telling her he'll be waiting for her. She quickly goes to the bathroom and checks her hair. Luckily, it looks perfect. She changes into another shirt and joins her father in the living room, telling him about the events that happened in school. After about fifteen minutes, the doorbell rang. Her father got up and answered the door, greeting the people outside heartily. She grins. It'll do him good to take some time off to just enjoy life and relax.

He moves over the door as a tiny figure runs in, shouting out her name. Laughing to herself, she stands up and greets the small boy as he throws his arms around her.

"It's great to see you too, Tom." She laughs.

She looks up to see her uncle and aunt make their way inside. Aunt Cassie is the first person to give her a bone-crushing hug, telling her how much she's grown since they last met. Once she's released, Uncle Tim pulls her into a small hug and lays his hand on her shoulder, asking her what's new. Her father brings out a plate of crackers and they all just lounge around, telling each other what's been going on in their lives. All the time, Tom sits right next to her and listens intently when she talks.

Seriously, that kid is just too _adorable_ for words. But what did she expect from a six-year-old?

"The two of you'll be fine, won't you?" her father asks, pulling on a jacket.

"We'll be fine, Dad." She assures her father.

"Okay then, Tom, you be a good boy, okay?" Uncle Tim ruffles his son's black-hair.

"Okay, Dad." Tom says.

Aunt Cassie gives each of them a quick hug before the three adults leave. Zaina stays at the door until she sees the car turn a corner. She then walks inside and closes the door behind her to be met with Tom looking at her with big eyes.

"Tom?" she simply asks, not really knowing what to do.

"I'm bored." He says and she lets out a laugh because, _duh_.

"So, what do you want to play?" she asks.

"What video games do you have?"

She thinks for a while and then gets an idea.

"How about some Guitar Hero? I'll teach you how play the instrument."

* * *

**A/N: This chapter might not be as long as the others, but I just wanted to show a bit more of the life sixteen years later. As you can tell, I'm a WonderBird shipper, hence their son. **

**Hope you've enjoyed the story so far. The real action will start in the next chapter.**

**Please review.**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Shout outs to everyone who commented on my previous chapters. I love seeing your reviews.**

**You guys really had some good suggestions and maybe I'll use them in the story.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Young Justice (unfortunately)**

* * *

Chapter 5

* * *

"Zen, get down here! You don't wanna be late."

Zaina stuffs her books into her bag and runs downstairs as she hears her father call again. Checking her watch to find out that she was just a few minutes late, she slings the bag over her shoulder. Mondays were always a problem for her. After a nice weekend, going back to school was somewhat the last thing she wanted to do. But, her father had an effective system to wake her.

"Oh good, you're ready." She sees her father placing a bowl of cereal on the table. "Better eat up. Jason's gonna be here in fifteen minutes."

"Sure, Dad." She sighs, slipping into the chair and eating a spoonful of cereal. He seats himself opposite her with his own bowl.

"Sorry about the weak breakfast. I really need to go grocery shopping." He smiles.

"It's okay." She replies.

They chat for about fifteen minutes till she finishes her cereal. As she puts her bowl in the sink, the doorbell rings. Her father answers the door and sees Jason standing there, ready for school.

"Morning, Mr. Grayson." He greets.

"Jason, how many times have I told you to call me Dick?" her father grins. He was always fond of the blond boy. She figures it has something to do with Jason's dad. Or it could just be the fact that he was his daughter's best friend.

She waves bye to her father as she walks past him. Jason greets her enthusiastically and walks beside her to school.

* * *

"So, how was your weekend at your Grandfather's?" Jason asks.

"It was actually pretty nice." She says. "Ace's really growing now. He's up to my waist now."

"To think he was just up to your thigh when you saw him last month." Jason grins.

She simply nods, recalling how the Great Dane had jumped on her the second he saw her. Her grandfather had a hard time holding him back, but he didn't need to. That dog loved her like anything. Then Damian had given her a huge tackle-hug, which was unusual for him. Then even Alfred had hugged her. They all gave her the same love they gave to all the kids, but she feels that they'll always treat her slightly more special. Maybe it was because she was the first ever child to be born into the family, even though she was an accident.

"I know, right?" she says, feeling her throat choke up.

The issue that she was accident was always a hard one for her. No one ever told that to her face, but she had heard her grandfather mention it. Then, the "Queen Bees" would always look for their chance to throw it to her face. Sure, Jason always stood up for her, but the hurt would always be there.

* * *

"…So, did we all understand this?"

All the kids suddenly jerked. Zaina, for one, had fallen asleep halfway through the class. Lucky she hadn't been caught, or her father wouldn't take it lightly to be called once again. She looks over to the bench beside her to see what Jason was doing. He was staring blankly at the blackboard, headphone wires coming out of his ears. He looks over to and smiles, pointing to his watch, signaling that the period was almost over. She heaves a sigh of relief and holds up a thumbs-up. He quickly removes his headphones and stuffs them into his pocket as the teacher's voice brings their attention to the teacher.

"Okay, as you all know, the Science Fair is next week. So, I'll be pairing you all up with partners for your project. Remember, I expect good work from _everybody_." The last word seemed to be mostly directed towards Jason due to his last project which turned out to be just a stick with a paper cup dangling from it.

As the teacher began reading out names, Jason leans to his side, obviously dying of boredom.

"Zaina Grayson will be partnered up with Jason West." Both of them jump upon hearing their names.

They give each other surprised looks as they were never once paired up for a project, even in middle school or elementary school. Zaina tries to ignore the fact that the other girls were giving her death-glares. Jason himself has his mouth open as he tries to get what happened.

The two of them were pretty close, but when it came to working together, it always ended up with her wanting to strangle him. She has a feeling that he feels the same way. _God,_ this project was so gonna put a damper on her plans to audition for the school band.

* * *

"I can't believe you're complaining about being partnered with _Jason_." Kim tells her. "At least you didn't get a complete loser like Michael."

"Michael's not that bad." Zaina replies. "And you don't know us. We _can't_ work together."

"Why not?"

"Well, usually after we work for about five minutes, we try to kill each other."

Kim's eyes widen. "Wow!"

Zaina nods, humming. "So, that's why I'm really expecting a F."

* * *

"What do you think we should do for the Science Fair?" Jason asks sheepishly.

Zaina turns to him and glares at him. "You just had to bring it up now." She growls. "My day already sucks without thinking about working with you."

"I'm not happy about it either." He sighs. "But since we're stuck with each other, shouldn't we try to make the most of it?"

"I guess, if we don't end up at each other's throats within the first five minutes." She says, clearly in a bad mood.

"Well, you started it." He says.

"You were the one who brought in copper instead of zinc." She counters.

He opens his mouth to argue then closes it, thinking. "I guess I did." He says. "But that still doesn't explain why you yelled at me."

"The reaction that the wrong metal had nearly blew up the room." She growls.

"_Fine_, be that way." He says, in a sheepish voice that tells her that he knows that he was to blame.

Luckily, they were reaching their houses. Zaina sighs with relief as all she needs now is to relax to let out all the stress she had been put through at school. She holds her forehead for a second as she felt the familiar headache coming on. She suddenly stiffens as she realizes that she only gets headaches before something bad happens. The last time such a huge headache came was when she was young and there was an earthquake in Palo Alto.

Before she knows what's happening, the ground beneath them starts spiraling and shaking. _Not another quake_, she thinks. The force of the spinning send her colliding into Jason and then into the ground.

* * *

The only thing she can think of is that her head feels like exploding. Letting out a huge groan, she sits up, holding her head.

"Oww, Jason, you okay?" she asks. A few inches away from her, she can see Jason lying on the ground. He shifts and sits up, running a hand through his blond hair.

"Yeah, I'm fine. You?" he says.

"I'm fine, too. Apart from a splitting headache." She rubs her temples.

Jason puts his hands on the ground and used it as a support to stand up. He turns around and offers his hand to her. She's still pretty fumed at him for their earlier fight, but they just felt the ground shake. She's ready to put her anger aside as long as they're all okay. She takes his hand and he helps her to her feet. She looks around and sees that they're still pretty much alive and everything is just as they remember except that it's dark. She figures that they must have been knocked out.

She's about to say something to Jason when they hear footsteps behind them. They both turn around and see two people approaching. She strains her eyes to see if she knows these people, but it's too dark to decide. She wonders if these people are friendly, but there's only one way to make sure. She grabs Jason's hoodie and pulls him into the nearest bush, ignoring his protests. She's surprised as she remembers this bush. It provides a lot of cover, even for a fifteen-year-old.

"What's the big idea?" Jason protests.

"Shhh. We don't wanna be spotted." She shushes him, hissing quickly.

"But wha…" He starts and stops, looking around. "Hey, this is my lawn." He sees the house behind him. "And that's my house."

Zaina forms a question in her head, but it dies on her tongue as she spots the people who had come up to the house. A guy and a girl, young, but old enough to live on their own. She thinks they might be in their early twenties. She quickly observes the guy. He's a tall redhead with freckles and bright green eyes.

_Where have I seen those eyes before?_ She wonders. She then observes the girl. She seems extremely familiar. Almost as if they had met before…

She gives a start as she recognizes the girl. Blond hair? Startling grey eyes? Hair in a ponytail?

"Isn't that your Mom?" the question slips out before she even has a chance to think.

"That _is_ my Mom." Jason sounds even more surprised than she is. "She looks so young. So different."

With a start she realizes where she had seen the guy's green eyes. Her best friend has those same yes, and now she thinks of it, he does resemble that guy in more ways than one.

"Who is that guy?" she wonders.

Her friend's reaction gets her even more confused than she already is.

"_Dad?_"

* * *

**A/N: Ooooo cliffhanger! **

**Hope you liked this chapter guys. I'm really getting into it now. I'm also basing the fate of my characters on your reviews. Depending on how you like each of them, they'll either die by the end of the story, or live. So, remember, Jason and Zaina's lives are in your hands.**

**So please review. I'd love to hear any more ideas you have.**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Wow, over 40 reviews already? I never thought my story could even get 10.**

**Seriously, I love you guys**

**The next few chapters will be flitting in between times, to show a few flashbacks, how Artemis and Dick deal with their children's disappearance and of course, Jason and Zaina's adventure.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own YJ**

* * *

Chapter 6

* * *

She can do nothing but stare at him, open-mouthed. "He's your _dad_?"

Jason nods. "My mom told me that he died before I was even born. According to her, she hadn't even been able to tell him she was pregnant." She gave him a sympathetic look at the hurt in his eyes. "Jaze…I'm so sorry." He smiles at her gratefully and then turns around.

His dad inserts a key into the door and opens it, putting his arm around his mom, leading her inside. She watches as his eyes begin to narrow at his parents. She can only imagine what's going through his mind right now.

"I think that quake sent us back in time." He says.

"Not just any time too." She says.

"It sent us back sixteen years. To the day your father died."

* * *

Dick checks his watch once again; worry building up in his throat. Zaina's been late before, but not by this much. He knows that Jason's walking with her, and the boy never tends to be late despite his various quirks. School ended about half an hour ago and their house was only a five minute walk away. Zaina should have been home by now.

Unable to take it anymore, he stands up and makes his way outside. He's probably making a big deal out of this, but who can blame him? He's a father, and fathers were always worrying. He knows that from personal experience. Also, he has a gut feeling that something's gone wrong, and he's learnt by now to always follow his gut. He quickly surveys the area. His eye suddenly catches something. He goes to see what it is and finds that it's Zaina's bracelet.

He fears the worst as he quickly pulls out his phone and dials a number he knows by heart now.

"Hello?"

"Artemis, it's me. Something's wrong. Jason and Zaina are missing."

* * *

"_You have a _what_?" _

_He wishes he could have just undone everything after seeing the shocked expressions of Tim and Barbara. Tim's staring at him with an exceptionally shocked look, the whites of his mask wide. Barbara on the other hand is staring at him with hurt in her eyes. She hadn't taken kindly to the news that Dick had another girlfriend, but now to know that he had a child with her, he doesn't want to know what's going on in her mind right now. _

"_I was as surprised as you guys were when I first found out." He says._

"_And when was that?" Barbara asks her voice unusually cold._

"_Right after the baby was born." He sees her eyes widen and a small softness creep into them. "Well, technically, the next night."_

"_And you didn't tell us?" Tim asks._

"_I couldn't. I knew how you would react." _

_He slumps down in the chair behind him, feeling the cold air of the Batcave hit him once again. He puts his head in his hands, blocking everything out except for the cries of his daughter. Alfred's holding her at the moment, but he can tell she wants her father by the way she's twisting around in Alfred's arms. He can't help but to smile softly at hearing it. The tiny two-month-old is just as impulsive as he was back then. _

"_I never meant for this to happen." He blurts out. He can feel Bruce's cold stare creeping into his skin and sending a shiver down his spine. He had always been immune to it, but then he didn't have a child who was dumped with him. Sure he waited a couple of months before telling Bruce, Tim, Barbara and Alfred, but he wanted to be sure that Zaina was ready to meet the rest of her family._

"_Master Richard," Alfred's voice makes him snap his head up. He doesn't know why he's suddenly feeling protective, but that's probably his father instinct, even though he never knew he had one, considering he was only twenty years old. "I believe Miss Zaina prefers to be in your arms."_

"_Sure, Alfred thanks for looking after her for a while." He thanks the old butler as he places the baby in the black-clad hero's arms. _

_Zaina instantly calms down as soon as she's in her father's hold. She turns to her side, catches one of his fingers and holds it as she falls asleep. He smiles as he strokes her cheek with his other hand. Tim walks over and stands beside him, peering over his shoulder at his niece. Barbara, though reluctantly, comes forward as well and her hard looks softens at once. She bends down on her knees and places a hand on the baby's forehead. He can see the smile growing on her face._

"_Don't you think it'll be better if you give her up for adoption?" Bruce asks, making everyone turn their heads to him. He's standing a little way away, cowl down and a slightly skeptical look in his eyes. "I mean, don't you want her to have a future with two loving parents?"_

"_I considered that at first, Bruce." Dick says. "But my uncle passed away a few years ago and he was the only living relative I had." His eyes shift to the sleeping baby. "She's all I have, Bruce. I'm not giving her up."_

_Bruce opens his mouth to argue but then sees just how much Dick loves his daughter. The look in his eyes is enough to let him know that he wasn't going to be parted with her. He himself knew what it was like to have no more blood relatives alive. He thinks that might be the reason why he adopted Dick in the first place, so that he wouldn't feel that he was alone in the world. And now, Dick was doing the same thing now, except that this child was his own child._

_He sighs. "Fine, if she really means that much to you, you can keep her." Dick gives him a grateful look. _

"_Anyway, I've always wanted a girl in the family."_

* * *

"So what's our next move?" Jason asks.

"Honestly, I'm clean out of ideas, so we're just gonna have to wing it." Zaina says.

She watches as he gets to his feet and peers through the window. She pulls herself off the ground and watches him narrow his eyes. She guesses that something's going on right now by the way his green eyes are so focused. She's only seen him this way a few times, and that was when they were either coming up with a new dance move, or working on a song. But she's never seen this much intensity in his eyes before, probably because he was never sent back in time before.

"What do you see?" she asks.

"My dad's on a phone call. Looks important." He scrunches up his face in thought.

She ponders over the events for a while as Jason continues to snoop, keeping low so as to not be spotted. Suddenly, all the pieces fit together. All the stories that her father told her about his best friend who died. The stories that got even scarier as she grew and he revealed more and more about Wally West. The phone call he made that he regretted forever. Her father blamed himself for Wally's death, it was pretty clear. Everything she's heard from both her father and Jason's mother suddenly completes the jigsaw puzzle in her head.

"_Jason_, I think I know what our next move is." She says.

"Really?" he asks, moving away from the window.

"This is the phone call that's going to send your parents back into action. Don't you see what we can do?" she asks.

He thinks for a while and then sighs. "I'm clueless."

"We're in the past, in the time your father died. We know how life's gonna be. We have a chance here, Jason. A chance to change history."

"You mean…?"

"If we succeed, we can stop your father dying."

* * *

Artemis clenches her hands into fists. "Please tell me they'll be fine." She can feel her eyes starting to get hot.

"Jason's gonna be fine, Artemis." Dick assures her.

"Oh, when he gets back, he's gonna be so _grounded_." She's tearing up now, horrified at the thought of something happening to her baby boy.

"I don't think they went willingly." He says.

Her eyes widen. "What do you mean?"

"Look at this. The ground was a tad damp from the rain we had last night. Their footprints are here and they simply, vanish." He points. "And I found this beside Zaina's footsteps." He holds up a thin silver band. "It's her bracelet. She always wears it as it was a gift from her mother, and the only connection we have to her." He pauses for a second. "She always wears it around. It's hard to get it off her. So, I have a feeling that they weren't even abducted."

"If they weren't abducted, then where are they?"

* * *

Zaina finally steps out of the bush, grateful for the chance to stretch her legs again. She didn't know how her father did it, but she didn't want to find out either. She quickly gestures for Jason to hurry up. He joins her outside his house, smoothening the wrinkles she left in his hoodie.

"So, what's the plan?" he asks.

"I remember my dad telling me that he had made a temporary base at Bludhaven. So, I think we should head there. From there, we can find out where the rendezvous is." She suggests. He nods. "I'm cool with that. But, how are we gonna get to Bludhaven? It's not like it's just a five minute walk."

"We'll use the zeta tubes."

"Huh?"

* * *

**A/N: Hope you liked the flashback. The next chapter will have Artemis and Jason in it.**

**Please review.**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Sorry I couldn't update in the last few days. I had to go to my cousin's place for the weekend and he's not really a fan of Young Justice, so I couldn't get enough time to write. Also, they've given us an overwhelming amount of work in school. Good thing today was the last day before school closes for summer.**

**I'll try to update as fast as I can as I'm on a roll with this story.**

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own YJ**

* * *

Chapter 7

* * *

Jason raised his eyebrow. "Just how are we gonna use the zeta tubes?"

"Remember when our parents took us to the cave? I think I can remember how my dad entered us in." she tries to recall how exactly he did it.

"Are you insane?" Jason asks.

She raises her head to meet his green eyes. "We're stranded in the past with no way of getting back. I think that a bit of insane is allowed."

He nods. "Fair enough."

She shrugs her shoulders and walked to an alleyway. It was old, and abandoned. There had literally been nobody here for a long time. Although, the abandoned photo booth had signs that it had been opened many times before.

"Okay, why are we in an abandoned alleyway?" Jason asks, fear evident in his voice.

"That photo booth is actually a zeta beam." Zaina explains. "We can use that to get to Bludhaven."

"Are you sure about that?" he asks again, trying to hide how much he was freaking out inside. "I mean, your dad has told us some really bad stories about Bludhaven."

"I'm scared too." She tells him. "But, I'm pulling it together. You should too. After all, your father's life can be changed if our extremely crazy plan works."

* * *

_Artemis has tears in her eyes as Oliver looks at her with a horrified expression. Roy is standing behind him, giving her a sympathetic look and Jade is leaning against the wall, holding Lian. She swallows another sob as Jason squirms in her arms. She quickly rocks the baby back to sleep. Dinah walks forward and places a comforting hand on her shoulder._

"_It's hard, isn't it?" she softly asks the younger woman._

_Artemis nods. "He never even got to meet him…" The rest of the sentence is drowned out by her sobbing. Jason wakes up at once because he can sense that his mother's sad and probably doesn't like it. She slowly runs her hand across his forehead, feeling the urge to cry at how much his green eyes look so much like his father's. Dinah takes Jason from her hands and Oliver pulls her into a tight hug as she hugs her adoptive father and cries. _

"_You'll get through this." He whispers to her._

_But, deep inside, she knows that she'll never get over it. As she holds Oliver, she catches a glimpse of something sparkling. This makes her tear up even more as uses her fingers to touch the ring on her ring finger._

_After they got back from the summit, Wally had proposed to her. He had told her that their lives were short, and he wanted to spend his life with her. She had agreed then. That very night, they went all out, just because they were glad to be back with each other. The next day, she found out she was pregnant. But, she couldn't tell Wally. Even when they were teamed up against the bots, she tried as hard as possible to restrain from telling him. After defeating their bot, Wally had passionately kissed her. She tried to tell him then, but couldn't._

_She regretted that decision her whole life._

* * *

"Are you sure about this?" Jason asks.

Zaina rolls her eyes. "That's the tenth time you've asked me that question." She points out, typing down coordinates in the holographic computer. He shrugs.

"Just making sure." He said in a small voice.

She looked at him and cocked her eyebrow. "I thought you were supposed to be the tough one." She smirks. "You're not chicken, are you?"

"I'm _not_." He says defiantly.

"Sure you're not." She replies sarcastically. As the zeta tube gives a _ding,_ she looks up. "We're good to go."

The two friends step into the glowing beam. She feels a tingly sensation and decides that she doesn't like to have her molecules played with. The sensation also comes with a feeling of nausea. According to her father, nausea was a normal side effect for first time zeta beam users. So, she doesn't let that worry her much. Although, she really feels like punching Jason for making her feel scared now with his constant babbling. To think that he was considered to be the tough guy in school.

When she hears the machine's roar calm down and a female voice announce their designations, she opens her eyes to find that they were safely transported to Bludhaven.

She heaves a small laugh. "It worked after all."

"What do you mean 'after all'?" Jason asks.

"Oh, shut up, chicken."

* * *

He looks around the street and then back at his watch. He's not _scared_, he's just _very_ nervous. But, Zaina seems to think otherwise. Well, this wouldn't be the first time she saw through him. She always had a knack for knowing what he really felt. He thinks that's probably why they're such good friends, because she's the only one he can talk to without getting those stupid pity looks and the monotonous "I'm sorry about that". She may not have been through the same thing he has, but that doesn't stop her from lifting his spirits after telling him that no matter what he lost, he still has a family that loves him. And he always tells her that same thing if she's feeling a bit insecure. Sure a few other people have said the same thing to him, but it always feels more intense when it's Zaina who says it. It's like she can feel everything he does, like they're connected in some way emotionally. He wonders if she knows about his crush on Kim…

Yeah, she probably does, maybe sooner than he did.

They've always had this thing when they randomly meet at places unexpectedly and then end up spending the entire time together. He doesn't know why, but he always felt free when he spent time with her. All his worries, issues and fears would come out like a stream if she just said one word.

And he's pretty sure that she reciprocates.

He's never had siblings before, so that's why he looks at her as his sister, even though their relationship is deeper than a normal sibling friendship. And he's also sure that they don't like each other. They just need each other's shoulders all the time. Now, they can't be without each other, which would explain why he's now at her father's city and trembling in his shoes.

"So, what now?" he asks.

"The warehouse should be here somewhere." She says, almost to herself.

She looks at him and he swallows his fear down. He raises his hands. "It's your plan. You lead."

She narrows her eyes. "You okay, J-man?" she asks.

"Yeah, totally fine." He says. "Despite the fact that we're in your _father's_ city and he could pop up anywhere and scare the hell out of us any second now. We're also in the past and not supposed to be here and we have no way to get back. Yeah, I'm _so_ fine."

She sighs. "Jason's back."

* * *

**A/N: It's not as long as the other chapters, but this chapter is just a filler. I also wanted to go a little deeper into Jason and Zaina's relationship. It's easy to fall in love with the two of them.**

**Hope you enjoyed this chapter, guys. I'll be updating more frequently now.**

**Please review.**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Nothing much to say for this chapter.**

**So, just enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own YJ**

* * *

Chapter 8

* * *

She looks up to the warehouse. It looked just like a normal warehouse from the outside, but there was some intimidating feel around it, almost as if something was protecting it, telling intruders to not go in there or they'd meet their worst nightmare.

She swallows. "This is the place." Beside her, Jason groans.

"Can it not be the creepy warehouse?" he asks. She shoots him a look and walks on ahead.

She'll never admit it, but a part of her thinks that he's right. A part of her just wants to give up this hare-brained plan of theirs to bring his father back. But, she knows how he's been feeling all these years without a father to guide him (she's felt the same thing). So, if there's even a slim chance of hope, she'll take it, for him. She just wants him to be alright, and she knows she'd give her life for him.

So she knows there's no turning back now.

"Come on." She sighs.

She places a hand on the door. At that moment, she feels something pulling at her gut. A very familiar feeling. She inwardly groans. _Not now, please, not now_. She then feels like she's being pulled out of the world. And the thing is this is all happened while her hand was still on the door.

_White._

_Ice, snow, blizzard, you name it. Everything was white. She's sure that if she were here in flesh and blood, she would be freezing to death. Cold winds were whipping around her and even though she wasn't really there, it still made her shiver. _

_In the middle of it all, something rose out of the snow. _

"Zen?"

His voice brings her back to reality. He's holding her shoulders and judging from his wide eyes, he had been shaking her.

"What just happened?" he asked.

Her head feels like it's about to explode. She moves her hand to her head and away from the door. Her knees suddenly feel like jelly and she's pretty sure that vision took everything out of her. It was never like this before. She's sure that it has something to do with Wally's death.

"Are you okay?" Jason asks her. "You kind of zoned out for a few minutes there."

"I'm fine, Jason, it happens a lot." She quickly says, then mentally kicking herself at what she just said.

"I never knew that." He says in a low voice. His eyes are looking into hers, confusion written all over his face. "Zen, what's going on?"

"That's what I'd like to know."

Both of them suddenly jump, because they know that voice. Sure, it's younger than what they know, but there's no denying it. Now that she thinks about it, there's a huge form right behind Jason. He gulps as she gestures with her eyes to look behind him. They awkwardly turn around.

Standing right there, is a tall man who looks like he could be in his early twenties/late teens. He's wearing a black full body spandex with an extremely familiar blue bird across his chest. His arms are crossed and his domino mask can't hide how much he wants to give them a fully fledged glare with his intimidating blue eyes.

"Who are you kids?" he asks.

She doesn't know what to do. At that moment, it feels like she isn't in control of her body at all. She doesn't know why she's so nervous all of a sudden. Although she thinks it might be because of the man standing in front of her. So, she sheepishly raises her hand and waves, feeling extremely embarrassed.

"Hey, Dad."

* * *

_Dick pulls on a jacket as he glances at the baby in the cradle by the window. He smiles at how she holds her arms out at the redhead bending over her. _

"_Thanks for watching Zen for me, Babs." He smiles at her._

"_No problem, Dick." She smiles, lifting the baby into her arms. "After all, I'd do anything to see my little goddaughter." She smirks._

_He rolls his eyes. "I only made you her godmother because Alfred told me to."_

"_Yeah, you took Alfred's advice for your baby girl." She sarcastically replies. _

"_You know just where to strike, don't you?" he grins. _

_She looks over at him and sets the baby down. He watches as she walks over to him and takes his collar between her fingers, straightening it out. "Do you ever bother to check yourself before you leave?"_

"_It's part of my charm." _

_He can feel his throat constricting as he notices just how close they were both standing. She also seems to notice as she looks up and meets his eyes. To his surprise, he finds himself feeling guilty. Why is he guilty? For having a daughter? Maybe he regretted having her once or twice, but he loved her. So, why was he wishing that it had never happened?_

"_We both know the reason why you asked me to watch Zaina tonight." She softly says, her face inches from his. "I still love you, Dick."_

"_I still love you too, Barbara." He says. "But it wouldn't be fair to Zen."_

_Barbara looks at him. "You love her, don't you?"_

"_She's all I have left. I'd do anything for her."_

_She nods, giving him an understanding look. "I know." She says, feeling her throat clog. "But, I know you need to look after her. She needs you more than ever now."_

"_This is why I know she'll be safe with you." His hands go up to her cheek and cradle it. He's staring at her blue eyes and thinking about how beautiful they are. He cups her cheek and leans forward, his eyes on her lips. _

_Before he can kiss her though, his eyes catch sight of the black haired girl in the corner of the room. It takes him literally all of his self-control to push her away from him. He thinks he can see hurt in her eyes._

"_I'm sorry, Babs. I can't do this." He says._

"_I know, Dick." She replies. "What we had was amazing, but we both know that you've still got a thing for a certain magician."_

"_Zee and I could never be together, not now." He sighs._

"_Have you even tried?" she asks. "How do you know something if you've never tried?"_

_He sighs, tells her to be safe and walks over to the cradle. He leans forward and kisses his daughter's cheek, bidding her goodbye and telling her to be good. He then picks her up and hands her to Barbara, smiling gratefully at her before leaving. _

_Somehow, her words were still playing over and over in his head._

* * *

"Found anything?" Artemis asks, arms folded.

Dick looks up at her and shakes his head. "Nothing."

Artemis gives a huge sigh. "I hope they're okay."

He walks over to her and puts a hand on her shoulder. "They'll be fine. They're strong kids. They'll take care of each other."

"But, you know they can't work together at all."

"Trust me, I know." He shudders at the memory of what happened the last time. "But, something tells me they'll get over it."

* * *

That simple sentence almost makes his eyes pop out of his head. Or at least that's what she figures, judging by his shocked expression.

"_What_?"

"You're probably wondering why I called you 'Dad'," she says, looking over to Jason for help. "It's because we're actually from the future."

She knows that even with her voice getting lower that he understood what she means. "So, you're my daughter?" he asks.

She nods. "Might not want to reveal too much…"

"…Or it will disrupt the entire time stream." He finishes. "Yeah, I know that drill."

Both of them stare at him in shock. Her dad was so much more, interesting, when he was younger. How had he changed so much?

"So, how did the two of you get down here?" he asks.

"It's a long story." Jason says.

"We've got time." Nightwing counters.

"We were in some kind of an earthquake." She says, thinking over the quake that sent them into the past.

"An earthquake?" he asks, looking at them with an unreadable expression. "Doesn't seem likely."

"We know. But, here we are." She says.

She watches as he considers. She doesn't think he really buys their "from the future" act. He pinches the bridge of his nose, sighing. "I don't really have the energy to deal with you two." He says. "I've got to go to Metropolis."

"Metropolis?" she asks.

He sighs. "The two of you, _stay put_."

He puts emphasis on the last two words and she knows that he'd be very angry if he found that they were both gone when he came back. But, she also knows that, even though they're told not to mess with the time stream, this is one time stream they _have_ to change.

If they don't she's not sure if they'll ever make it back home.

* * *

**A/N: Hope you liked this chapter. I brought Nightwing in. Initially, I thought of Zaina telling him how she was born and about Wally's death, but then decided against it. **

**Hope you all liked the flashback. Took me some time to decide what to write, and I just decided to show how Dick and Barbara's relationship would be when Zaina was born. As you can see, I'm a Chalant shipper as well. I'm too predictable.**

**Please review. **


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: This chapter will have answers to a few questions that were asked in the previous chapters. And maybe there might also be a lot of fluff.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own YJ.**

* * *

Chapter 9

* * *

She puts her arm out and grabs onto Jason's arm.

"Wha…?"

"Come on. We're going to Metropolis."

He stares at her like she's crazy. "You realize your dad told us to _stay put_?"

"We need to get there, now." She says urgency evident in her voice. "We might get to know where to go next."

"How do you know?" he asks, grasping her shoulders and making her look into his eyes. "You've been acting weird lately, Zen I want to know what's going on."

She averts her eyes.

"What's going on? Why won't you talk to me? What are you hiding from me?"

She heaves a sigh. She's been trying to avoid this conversation since, like they ended up here, or even sooner. It's never been like this before, but lately, it's been getting worse and even more unpredictable. That's the reason why she's been trying to avoid him. But, she can't actually tell him that. Still, she figures that she had to tell him sooner or later. It's sooner.

"There's something I haven't told you yet." She says.

"Yeah, kinda figured that out." He replies.

She takes a deep breath. "My mom was a metahuman."

Jason's jaw drops. "A metahuman?"

She nods. "She had unusual psychic powers. She was a telekinetic and had mind reading abilities, like Mrs. Kent." She explains. "Her parents always hated her and were looking for a reason to kill her. They thought she was a freak, a piece of lowlife scum who didn't deserve to live. So, when she started dating my dad, they let her off a bit and relaxed as he was extremely famous and rich. But, when I was born…"

"They'd kill her. Both of you." He finishes.

She nods. "To stop me from dying, she gave me to my dad the very next day I was born." The look in his eyes is shocked. "Zen, I'm so sorry…"

"And that's not the worst of it." She says, letting everything that was bottled up inside her come out. "I don't have telekinesis or mind reading, but I have foresight."

"Foresight?" he asks

"The power to see into the future." She explains. "I keep having visions that happen."

"Wow!" he exclaims. "That's so cool."

"That's so _not_." She snaps. "Because I can see the future, it's hard for me to see the present. My eyes are wired in such a way that I can't read."

"Wait, you can't _read_?" he asks. "What do you mean?"

"I have dyslexia."

* * *

He doesn't know what to think. He's simply staring at his best friend with his mouth open, his head swirling with everything she just told him. All this time he thought she didn't understand what it was like not having one parent, but he doesn't know if he can imagine having a parent who was forced to leave. Her life's been full of struggle, ten times more than his has been. So, that would explain why she's been shutting off from everyone a bit lately.

"You're dyslexic?" he asks.

"That's why I've never been able to answer your texts. That's why I do badly in school. That's why I'm not as good a dancer as you are." She replies. "That's why I'm never going to be as good as you. That's why I've been avoiding you."

"Why were you avoiding me?" he asks.

"Because," she says, "I didn't think you wanted a friend who was a dyslexic freak."

"What makes you think you're a freak?"

She stops her rant and stares at him for a moment. He folds his arms across his chest and looks right into her blue eyes.

"You don't think I'm a freak?" she softly asks.

"Not in my eyes." He replies.

She narrows her eyes. "But, I…"

He sighs and walks over to her, holding her shoulders. "Look, I don't care what others think about you. You've been there for me ever since we were five. You're like a sister to me. You know you could always just tell me if you were having problems."

She pulls him into a hug. He can feel her softly shivering as he wraps his arms around her, her head on his chest. "What have we always told each other? Doesn't matter what anyone thinks. We still have a family that loves us, friends who care about us, and mostly, we have each other."

She nods and opens her mouth to say something, but then closes it, unable to say something. Still, he knows that they're cool now, and nothing needs to be said. He hugs her a tad tighter and just enjoys the moment they were both sharing (moments like these were rare between them). As he releases her from the hug but still has his arms around her, he catches the look of gratitude in her eyes. They just stay there and he wishes that this moment would last forever. But he knows that it won't when Zaina pulls away from him.

"Okay, now that we've gotten that out of our system," she says, "Let's go to the North Pole."

"The North pole? Why?" he asks.

"You remember when you thought I was acting weird earlier at the door?" she says. "I was having a vision."

"Did you see something that'll help us?" he asks with doubt in his voice.

"I saw a lot of snow and ice. I have a hunch that could be the North Pole." She says.

"Just a lot of snow and ice? That's what you're basing our route on?"

"Not just a lot of snow and ice." She says. "I saw this thing that looked like a huge blue beetle."

"Huge blue beetle?" he frowns, thinking.

"Yeah, I only saw it for like half a second before I was pulled out of the vision." She says, rubbing her head.

"You think this might have something to do with my dad's death?" he asks.

She nods. "I think that thing was a magnetic field disruptor." She says. "My dad told me the story. Those magnetic field disruptors were all over the world and would slowly form into a chrysalis. Apparently, after everything, they found out that there was one more. It was based at the North Pole."

"And at the North Pole was where my dad died because he was slower than Uncle Bart and Grandpa Barry." Jason finishes.

"So, I think I know what we're gonna do." She says.

"Go to the North Pole?" he suggests.

"I was gonna say get some coats." She says. "It's gonna be freezing there."

He laughs. "I'm with ya, sis."

* * *

**A/N: Sorry this chapter is so short. I promise the next chapter'll be longer.**

**Hope you like the story. Please review.**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Sorry guys, but I won't be able to update till Tuesday. My parents are taking me and my cousin to a national park and I don't think I'll have the time to write. **

**Still, hope you enjoy this chapter, guys.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own YJ**

* * *

Chapter 10

* * *

"What are we waiting for?" Jason asks, clearly impatient. "Let's go."

"Not right now." She hisses. "We need to wait for everyone to go to Metropolis, and then move to their places. We can't risk letting anyone know who we are."

"So…"

"We have a lot of time to relax." She sighs, leaning with her back against the wall.

They both were in Zaina's father apartment as they knew that he wasn't gonna come back for a while. Her father had the key with him, but didn't know that he had told his daughter that he always put a spare key in the flower pot outside the door. And, the two of them needed a place to crash while they waited for just the right moment, and the apartment was just a few blocks away. She figures that if her dad knew who they really were, he probably wouldn't mind.

She wonders what he thinks of them due to her little slip-up. She practically hates herself for that. She doesn't know what happened right then, but she had just panicked. She knows that he probably just thinks of them as a couple of snoopy little kids who were trying to mess with his mind. At their current situation, she'd settle with that explanation. But, there's a part of her that wonders what it would be like if she told him who they actually were. She knows that it wouldn't be pretty, but still…

She shakes the thought out of her head and looks around her father's living room. Jason's sitting on the stool by the kitchen island and looking down, fiddling with the spare key. She notices that when they came in, he got himself a pancake out of the fridge. He assured her that her father wouldn't miss it, but she's not so sure about that. Considering how much of a neat freak her father was, she's surprised how his apartment is. There are plates in the sink and on the island, including the one from which Jason ate the pancake. Also, clothes are all around the house, and she can see bits of an old Nightwing costume on the cupboard. She figures that he changed after she was born.

She closes her eyes for a few moments, reflecting on everything her father taught her about being calm in the face of danger. This was danger, what she and Jason were going to attempt. There was a huge possibility that they were going to die.

Suddenly, she's jerked out of her thoughts by Jason's voice. "Hey, I just thought of something." He says, looking over at her. "You told me that you were born because your dad went all out due to _my_ dad's death."

"Yeah, so…?" she asks.

"A thought just struck me." He says. "If you were born because of my dad's death, would you never be born if he was alive?"

Her eyes widen at his question. She never thought of what would happen to her if Wally's death was reversed. All of Jason's points made sense. She was born because her dad was grieving his dad. What would happen if he never died? Would she never be born?

"I…never thought about that." She looks down, thinking about not being born and how great her life had been. Her life had a million downs, but there were a lot of things worth living for. She wonders what would happen to Jason. Would their friendship never even happen? "I…don't know what would happen." Her throat suddenly chokes up and she finds herself speechless.

"You might never be born." Jason says it for her, his eyes never leaving her face. "Maybe we shouldn't…"

"No!" she's surprised by the level of intensity in her voice. "We have a chance here to give you a normal childhood, Jason. We're not giving up."

* * *

He checks his watch and stands up. "It's time."

He sees Zaina nodding and moving from her place by the wall. He notices that she's a bit slower than usual. It's probably from what he just told her. He lets his words sink in after the few hours of silence they had. He had wanted to tell her something, but had left it, much to his own surprise. After an hour, she had slid down to the ground and had been sitting with her back to the wall, legs pressed to her chin and arms crossed over her knees.

Seeing her like this was practically torture for him. She had been one of the strongest people he knew. But, seeing how fragile she was at that moment, almost made him want to go back in time again, so that this had never come up. Still, it's hard to imagine what knowing you're going to die can do to some people. He's met a lot of people, a few of them suicidal. Those people are okay with knowing that they'll die. But, Zaina is different. She shouldn't be suffering from dyslexia. She shouldn't have to bear a burden.

She did nothing wrong.

She did nothing to deserve this.

Yet, she was still doing this. For _him_. He doesn't understand why she'd do it for him, but he realizes that he'd do the same for her. She was risking her own existence for him. He'll never know how to repay her.

If they ever survive this, that is.

* * *

Making sure the coast is clear, they both move into the alleyway and into the zeta tube. Surprisingly, there's a tube in the North Pole.

"Who'd want to go to the North Pole?" he grins.

She simply gives him a look. After a moment, he gets it. "Oh…"

"Come _on_!" she sounds exasperated. He can't blame her. He's spent the last few minutes they took for the walk to the zeta beam complaining about how this was all stupid and suggesting that they just sit back and hope they can get back to their time. She simply glared at him and told him firmly that they _were_ doing this.

She quickly enters the coordinates for the North Pole and steps inside. She gestures for him to follow just before the yellow light envelopes her. Taking a deep breath, he follows her into the beam, closing his eyes as he feels his molecules dissipating. He's not sure he'll ever get used to that feeling of his molecules being played with.

When he opens his eyes, all he can think of is how good it feels to be wearing that coat right now. Cold winds begin to hit him in the face and his nose feels like ice. Instinctively, his arms go to wrap themselves around himself. He rubs his arms, thinking of why on earth anyone would want to place a magnetic field disruptor in a place as cold as this.

He looks to his side to find Zaina standing beside him, winds blowing her black hair into her face. She's looking up and the look in her eyes seems as if she's not in the present at the moment. He wonders if she's having a vision.

She suddenly looks down, narrowing her eyes. "Were you having a vision?" he asks. "Nope. I was thinking." She answers, not looking up at him. He doesn't have to ask what she's been thinking about.

They're at the North Pole now. This is the ultimate time now. Now, either his father would live, or die, depending on what they would do. He thinks that it would just be easier to turn around and go back to Bludhaven. He touches her elbow and tells her this, but knows in his heart that they've come too far to back out now. She says what they're both thinking right now.

"There's no turning back now."

* * *

**A/N: Hope you guys like this chapter, guys. This will be a twelve chapter story. So, the next chapter will be the final chapter and the one after that, the epilogue.**

**Please review.**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Well, I'm finally back from my trip. And it was AWESOME! Three trips and we covered 14 sightings of Asiatic lions. You'll never believe how magnificent those creatures are until you see them with your own eyes. :) **

**Anyway, here's the final chapter. The next chapter will be an epilogue.**

**Hope you enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own YJ**

* * *

Chapter 11

* * *

His eyes quickly take in the scene before him. The blue thing is starting to form into a chrysalis. Beside him, he hears Zaina gasp.

"We're too late!"

But, the thing that has his eyes is the red and yellow blur circling the chrysalis. He can just barely make out three shapes running inside the blue. He doesn't know how, but he thinks it's because his father was a speedster. A normal person wouldn't be able to spot it, but he does. Among the red, cream and yellow, he can see a particular yellow suited man who was a bit slower than the other two. His eyes widen as he hears an agonizing moan as a blue streak of energy hits him.

"DAD!"

Zaina turns to him. "Jason, what's going on? What do you see?"

"My dad's slower than Uncle Bart and Grandpa," he says, not really paying attention, "The chrysalis is letting the energy out through my dad because he's slower."

"He's going to die in a few seconds, isn't he?"

He nods, words catching in his throat. They were too late. His father was going to die, his mother was going to get all depressed for her whole life, and he and Zaina were going to be stuck in the past. He runs a hand through his hair as he begins thinking of how he was going to introduce himself to his mother once this was all over. Zaina also looks down and he knows that she feels for him. She had tagged along with him on this crazy adventure, for nothing. He felt bad for putting her through this. She might also die, but was risking it. And for what? For him.

Suddenly, a thought strikes him. A last desperate attempt to save his father. He had seen how his mother had turned out without him. He wasn't going to let that happen. Not again.

Judging by the look on her face, he figures that his best friend has the same idea. She turns to him and meets his eyes for a moment. There was a chance that none of them was going to return from this. That look communicated all that needed to be said. He narrows his eyes and nods in response to her nod.

He looks back as another bolt of blue energy hits his father. That's all that it takes for him to be overcome by rage. His father did nothing wrong to deserve this. No one close to him did. Then why were they always taken away? As they both begin running towards the chrysalis, his head begins spinning. He realizes just how exhausted he is now. Everything he's been going through just seems like too much now. He feels like drooping on the spot, but he pushes himself.

_Just one more run_, he tells himself_, just one last run, and then it'll all be over._

He can't really think in the next few seconds as the two of them collide into the yellow clad speedster and send him to the ground. By pushing Wally out of the way, the chrysalis uses them to release its energy instead. A blinding pain shoots across his back and into his muscles, making them go weak. He struggles to stay up, but the pain seeps through his body like a drug. He lets out a restrained yell as he hears Zaina scream beside him. He uses his hands to stay up, but the pain is too unbearable.

The last thing he can think of is how happy his mother would be before everything goes black.

* * *

He feels a throbbing pain in his head, making him groan. Now that he thinks of it, his entire body feels like exploding. He still manages to sit up and hold his head as he opens his eyes, blinking against the sunlight.

Wait, sunlight? The last he could remember, he was in the Arctic. How could there be sunlight in the Arctic at this time of year?

He hears someone stirring beside him and a feminine groan. He heaves a sigh as he recognizes Zaina. When his eyes adjust to the light, he looks around to find himself in Palo Alto. He turns to his side and finds Zaina with practically the same expression on her face as his.

"Palo Alto." She says.

"How on earth did we get home?" he asks.

Jason then touches his shoulder, surprising him even more. "Um, Zen, where are our Arctic coats?" The look she gives him is enough to tell him that she doesn't have the faintest idea what's going on. He shakes his head and looks at the house behind her and his eyes widen so much that they hurt. "Hey! That's my house. And there's yours, over there." She looks at her hands and is definitely as confused as him, if not more.

He pulls himself to his feet, groaning at the pain that shoots through his arms. After helping her to her feet, he sets his hoodie to help release some of the confusion, but it doesn't work. He sees Zaina rub her arms through the blue t-shirt. He takes a gulp and walks forward, beckoning to her to follow him.

* * *

She eventually does follow him, though very reluctantly. She's still very unsure of her surroundings. Sure, everything looks like home, but one thing her father taught her was that appearances could be deceiving. She brushes a bit of dirt from her jeans and scopes out her surroundings. She looks around, narrowing her eyes at the extremely familiar scenery.

"So, where do we go?" she asks Jason.

"I think we should go to my house." He suggests. Then, his eyes widen. "Jason?"

"It may have worked." He grabs her shoulders, his voice tingling with excitement. "Maybe our plan did work."

"Are you sure about this?" she asks. He nods.

"There's only one way to find out."

She nods in agreement. Together, they both walk to his house. She tries to ignore the pain in her lower back. She knows that the bolts had targeted her lower back the most. Even though her whole body would have a dull ache, her back hurt like hell. She can only imagine what Jason was going through since she knows that he took most of the blow. She blindly rubs her back. Jason notices it and stops.

"You okay?"

She nods. "I'm fine, Jason." They're almost at his door now and she wonders if it did work after all. For all she knew, this could all be just a dream and she was still laying face first in the snow. He puts a hand on the door and she sees him hesitate. He turns to look at her and she nods, encouraging him to open the door. He smiles at her and takes a deep breath and pushes the door open.

"Mom?" he calls.

She hears movement and peeks inside. Jason narrows his eyes and moves in and she follows him. From the living room, his mother comes out. Her hair is messed up and her eyes are red like she had been crying. She throws herself at Jason, engulfing him in a bone-crushing hug.

"Mom, can't breathe." He says, sounding choked but relieved at the same time.

"Sorry," the blond woman says. "I was just so worried about you. Both of you." She turns and smiles at Zaina, who returns it.

"We're fine." Jason assures his mother, hugging her back.

She pulls back and looks over her shoulder. "Guys, they're alright." She calls.

Jason shoots Zaina a confused look. She simply shrugs, as confused as he is. From the living room, a man of about thirty-six comes out, a look of relief on his face. The thing that catches her eyes is his fiery red hair and bright green eyes. Jason's eyes are wide as he stares at the man who pulls him into a hug and then ruffles his blond hair.

"I'm so glad you're safe, son." He says.

Jason smiles as he realizes that this man happened to be his father. He looks over at her and she laughs with relief. Then, she sees a strange look across his face as he turns back to his father. "How long were we gone?" he asks.

"The two of you didn't come back from school. You've been gone for two days." His father tells them.

"_Two days_?" she asks. He nods. "All of us were worried sick about you."

At that moment, a black haired woman comes in through the door and stops when she sees Zaina. As she wonders who this is, the woman runs to her and throws her arms around her, tears appearing in her eyes. As she looks over the woman's shoulder, she sees her father come in. He also stops when he sees her. He then walks over to them and puts his arms around them too.

"I was so worried about you." The woman says.

"Zen, you went missing for _two days_. Your mom and I were worried sick." Her father puts in. Mom? She never knew her mom, but she was certain that this lady was not her mom.

When they part, her father looks over at Jason's parents. "How long were they here?" he asks.

"Not very long. They just walked through the door a few minutes before you and Zatanna came in." his father says.

Zatanna? Zatanna was her stepmom? Her eyes travel over the black-haired woman. She had met the magician a few times before, and she could always figure out that her father still had a thing for her. He never had the courage to tell her how he felt, so she wonders how they were married. How long were her and Jason gone anyway? Everything was so familiar, yet so new at the same time. It was enough to make her head spin.

Before she can say anything, there's a patter of feet on the stairs and three kids come down. She narrows her eyes at them. They all seem to be around the age of eight. There were two girls and one boy. The boy has fiery red hair like Jason's father and grey eyes like his mother. The taller of the two girls has blond hair and olive skin like Jason's mother but what captured her face was the green eyes which were the same as his. The shorter of the girls has black hair and blue eyes like Zaina's father. You can see the resemblance between her and her father.

_Who are these kids?_ She thinks before the black haired girl runs over to her and throws her arms around her waist. She awkwardly hugs the young girl as the boy and girl (who she guesses are twins) do the same to Jason.

"We missed you so much." The little girl around her waist says in a cute little voice. "Irey told me you both were dead."

"I did not, Maria!" the blond girl says. "I just said that they might not come back."

"Well, you shouldn't have said that." The black haired girl, who she guesses is Maria, sticks out her tongue.

"Well, Jai told me first." Irey protests.

Jason looks over at her and raises his eyebrow. She shrugs as he returns a hug to the red haired boy, who she knows is Jai. The young boy looks up at him. "Still, you promised that you'd take us to the carnival, but you never came." He says.

She is about to mouth an answer to Jason when she knows that her father has noticed her confusion. He walks up to her and puts an arm on the little girl's shoulder. "Step back, okay, Maria?" he tells her. "I just need to know something." The girl nods and steps back to Zatanna.

Her father looks up at both of them. Seeing his face, the twins also let go and stepped back. Jason puts his head down to avoid her father's gaze.

"Okay, what happened to you two?" he asks. "Did you go to another place?"

"Actually, Dad." She says. "We weren't in a different place. We were in a different time."

"Different time?" She can feel the surprise throughout the room. "How did you get there?"

"It's kind of a long story." Jason awkwardly says.

She gives a tiny laugh at the smile on her father's face. "Well, we have plenty of time." He leads the two teenagers to the couch in the living room and sits them down.

* * *

**A/N: Hope you all enjoyed this chapter. This is by far one of the longest chapters I've ever written, considering that I've also been going through a bit of a writer's block. Still, I managed to complete it for you guys.**

**Hope you guys liked the ending. Please review.**


	12. Epilogue

**A/N: You guys really thought this was the end, didn't you? **

**Well, after this chapter it is.**

**So, hope you enjoy it. And thank you all for your support all these days of writing. Your reviews, favorites and follows mean a lot to me. At least now I know that I **_**can**_** write Young Justice.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own YJ**

* * *

Epilogue

* * *

Life began to get better for both, Jason _and_ Zaina.

Jason found out that he was born a few months after his parents got married. A few years after Jason's birth, his Grandpa Barry retired from crime-fighting and gave the title of Flash to his nephew while he settled down with his wife, Iris and kids, Don and Dawn. When Jason was around seven, his mother gave birth to twins Iris "Irey" and Jayden "Jai" West. Both his younger siblings inherited the speedster gene and were zipping around the house the second they learned to walk. Jason, on the other hand, was a much better musician as well as dancer. Irey and Jai both look up to him and he can't help but feel flattered that two eight-year-olds listened to him more than their parents.

Zaina found out that her father's affair with her mother _did_ happen. Except, this time, he stayed with her because he tried to get over his feelings for Zatanna. When he couldn't, he broke up with her and began dating Zatanna. A month after Jason was born, Zaina was handed to her father and both her father _and_ Zatanna had taken care of her. Only a few years later, he proposed to her and they raised Zaina as their own child. She had begun to look at Zatanna as her mother instead. Around the time young Jason found out about his new siblings, Zatanna was heavily pregnant with her husband's child. The baby, Maria Zatara-Grayson was born three weeks after Irey and Jai were born. She became really good at gymnastics, almost acrobat-like. Zaina, on the other hand, was much better at Music, like she was before. She was still dyslexic and still retained her foresight. Still, despite all her flaws, Maria pretty much idolizes her big half-sister.

Jason and Zaina together formed the perfect team. Now that they had been through time and all, they understood each other more and were able to work together without blowing anything up. After being grounded for a week for messing with time, they delved into the physics of time travel. They did their project for the Science Fair on time machines. Not only did they both get an A+, their miniature time machine also won the Science Fair. Now, a huge polished trophy stands on the trophy shelf in each of their houses.

Their love life also got better. With a lot of encouragement, Zaina was able to persuade Jason to tell Kim about his feelings. She acted as a buffer for the both of them, encouraging both of them and telling each of them what the other liked best. After an agonizing week of persuasion, Jason finally told Kim about his feelings for her. Zaina helped them both out by planning their first date as well. That night, she smiled from behind a tree in the park as Jason and Kim held hands and touched foreheads.

With his help, Zaina managed to get better grades despite her dyslexia. Her teachers were astounded by her remarkable progress. She went from a D student to an A- student. He also helped her out in many other areas, like gym, where she wasn't very good but he was the star. In return, she had his back whenever a bully approached him for being popular. Their teamwork extended from schoolwork to other things as well. At times, Zaina would babysit Irey and Jai if Jason was supposed to but he had a date. Jason would also babysit Maria when Zaina needed a break.

Soon, they ended up forming a partnership in music. She wrote the songs while he composed them. They both would perform them at the bashes at school. Soon, the school band would open for them. They declined the invitation into the band and decided to work towards their music dream.

So, life was great for both of them. Now that they both full families, everything was perfect.

* * *

"Should I bring it down to a D?" he asks.

She considers for a moment and then shakes her head. "I think we'll leave it at C." He nods bending over to the laptop and hitting a few keys while she quickly notes down a few lyrics.

It was Saturday. The two friends were simply lazing around in her garage, where they usually worked on their songs. They were just messing around with a few chords and a few lyrics because they didn't have much to do that day. Jason's family had come over and the adults were in the living room chatting while the kids chased each other around the house. To give their families some space, they both had snuck into the garage and ended up working on a new song.

When Jason bends down to strike another chord, a red and blue blur sweeps across the room. She lets out a small laugh as Jason sighs in exasperation and leans forward, picking the redheaded boy up by the collar of his blue shirt. Jason had this thing where he could catch any of his speedster siblings, even when they were running.

"Jai, what are you even doing down here?" he asks, a frown on his face but she can see the small smile at the corners of his mouth.

"Um, Maria and I were playing tag." The boy sheepishly says. "She's it."

"I thought we told you to stay away from the garage." Jason replies.

Seeing the tiny ashamed look on Jai's face, Zaina leans forward and places a hand on his arm. "He was just playing." She says. "Cut him some slack."

He sighs. "Fine." He says, placing his brother back on the floor. "Just don't come in here again, okay?" he tells him. "You got it, bro." Jai holds up a thumbs-up before zooming off.

She smiles after him and then turns to the blond teenager. "Why did you have to be so hard on him?"

"I wasn't." he says. "That was normal for us."

She chuckles. "If that's your _normal _way, I'd hate to see you being _mean_."

He playfully pushes her shoulder as she teases him a bit more. Then, Jason's phone begins to ring and he jumps up with excitement. "It's Kim." He says, before getting up and walking to a corner. She smiles and laughs at the same time at the jump in his step. He was still getting used to the idea of being in a relationship with "the hottest girl in school", in his opinion. Still, she didn't care because they were perfect for each other and he was happy.

That was all that mattered, in her opinion.

After a few moments, he walks back to her and sits down on the couch, a huge smile on his face. "So, what did she say?" she asks, smiling at the sight of his happy face. "Well, I'm taking her to the movies tomorrow." He smiles, unable to hide the happiness in his voice.

The doorbell rings, startling them both. Zaina recovers quicker than Jason and relaxes as she hears voices upstairs. "It's just Uncle Tim and Aunt Cassie. They've stopped by to let Tom play with the kids." She explains to him. He nods and shrugs his shoulders a bit, picking his guitar up and laying it across his lap. But, before he could continue playing, Zaina's father peeks in. "Guys, Uncle Tim and Aunt Cassie are here. They want to see you."

They both sigh. It looks like they wouldn't be getting this song done by tonight.

* * *

The two of them finally drag themselves upstairs. As usual, she's immediately attacked by a tiny six-year-old. She laughs and hugs Tom as Jason ruffles his hair. The two greet their uncle and aunt happily. Even though she didn't like being disturbed during writing, she really missed her aunt and uncle as they lived in Gotham and couldn't really leave all the time due to their crime-fighting identities as Spoiler and Red Robin.

They all chat for a while as her mother brings down cookies. She then sits down beside her father as he lays an arm across her shoulder. Zaina herself is sitting on the couch beside Jason as he secretly sneaks a few more cookies. After a while, Aunt Cassie stands up.

"Guys, I have something to tell you." She says.

"You could have told me in the car." Uncle Tim tells her.

"I wanted to tell all of you." She says.

Zaina sits up and even Jason stops munching on chocolate chip and listens intently. Aunt Cassie was usually high-spirited, but this time, she seemed even more happy than usual. Zaina wonders what it could be that she didn't tell Uncle Tim first as she usually always told him first.

She turns to Uncle Tim, a huge smile on her face. "Tim, our family just got a little bigger."

The silence in the room could be suffocating if it didn't last only for two minutes.

"_You…_" Uncle Tim's voice cuts the silence as the two teenagers burst out laughing.

"I'm pregnant."

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**A/N: And there it is! The final ending to "Never be the same". It wasn't as long as hoped, but it came out pretty good. **

**And it's all thanks to you guys. Please continue to review. I aim to hit 100 reviews on this story.**

**Anyway, I'm planning a sequel to this story. Who all want to see the next part of this universe? If the sequel is made, I know that it will be set a year later. I still have to work out a potential storyline.**

**So, please review. And thank you all.**

****EDIT**: The sequel to this story is called "Don't Look Back"**

**~Six**


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